Hosiery and a method of making the same



Aug. 2, R, HOW 2,714,299

HOSIERY AND A METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed May 13, 1954 IN ENTOR ROBERT HOWARD BY/wm 717 ATTORNEYJ,

United States Patent HOSIERY AND .A MEIIHODOF MAKING THE SAME Robert Howard, Tarboro, N. (1., assignor 'toRunnymede (lg 1111s, Inc., Tarboro, :N. .C., a corporation of "North aro ma Application May '13, 1954 .Serial No. 422,500 2 :Claims. (Cl. ;6.61 88) present invention relates :to hosiery and to a method of making the same, particularly 'to socks of the type worn by men, children, teenagers, and sometimes by women, and :has particularly reference to socks having a ribbed .upper or leg portion visible above the upper marginal .edge of the shoe of the wearer, and a foot portion of plainknit fabric completely concealed by 'said shoe when said sock and shoe are on the foot of a wearer.

There is at the present time, a great demand among the purchasing public for socks having a ribbed upper or leg portion and a foot portion 'of plain knit fabric. The ribbed upper or leg portion is attractive, and the plain knit fabric portion is comfortable. This demand has heretofore been supplied, first, by the :PIOVlSlOl'l of socks having a ribbed upper or leg portion which terminates in a substantially straight line extending around the ankle portion of the sock with the remainder of the sock, i. e. the remainder of the ankle portion, the heel, instep portion, sole and toe, of plain knit fabric, and, secondly, by the provision of socks having a ribbed upper or leg portion the rear half of which terminates at the top of the heel portion of the sock, and the front half of which continues along the top and sides of the instep portion of the sock and terminates adjacent the toe of the sock, the heel, lower foot or sole portion and toe being of plain knit fabric.

The two types of socks above referred to as constituting the prior art, each possess inherent disadvantages as to appearance and comfort, which disadvantages are readily recognized and tolerated by the'purchasing public, notwithstanding which disadvantages great numbers of pairs of such socks have been manufactured and sold for want of a better appearing and more comfortable product. The first type of hosiery above mentioned, i. e. the type wherein the ribbed upper or leg portion terminates in a substantially straight line extending circumferentially around the sock at the ankle portion thereof, is objectionable from the standpoint of appearance, as the line of demarcation between the ribbed fabric and the plain knit fabric is located well above the top of the average shoe of the wearer and presents an unfinished and unattractive appearance. The second type of sock above mentioned, i. e. the type wherein the front half of the ribbed upper or leg portion extends from the top of the sock, along the top and side portions of the instep and terminates at the toe, is not objectionable from the standpoint of appearance and is, in fact, an attractive product, but the presence of the ribbed fabric with its is a laced type shoe rendered tight across the instep by tightly tying the laces of such shoe. Manufacturers of socks of the general type referred to have long sought to provide, and the purchasing public has long hoped for,

socks which are devoid of the disadvantages as to ap- 2,714,299 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 pearance and comfort inherent in the socks of the prior art.

It is aniobject of my present invention to provide socks and a method of making the same, in which each sock has a ribbed upper or leg portion which terminates in its entirety just slightly below the upper marginal edge of the shoe and in which substantially all portions of said sock below said upper marginal edge and within said shoe are of plain knit fabric and are completely concealed within-and by the shoe.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide .socks and a method of making the same, in which the ribbed knitting at the rear half of the upper or leg portion .of each sock terminates immediately above the heel of thesock, and in which the ribbed knitting at the front half of the upper leg portion of each sock is continued along the top and along the sides of the instep portion -of the sock and terminates a considerable distance from the toe of the sock and along rearwardly and downwardly tapered lines extending from approximately the midpointof the top of the instep portion of the sock toward the rear or heel .portion thereof, the remainder of the foot portion of said sock being of plain. knit fabric and the line of demarcation between said ribbed fabric and said plain knit fabric corresponding substantially to the outline of the upper marginal edge of the Wearers shoe, with the downwardly and .rearwardly tapered line of demarcation between the ribbed and plain knit portions positioned just slightly below said upper marginal edge of the shoe when said sock and shoe are applied to the wearers foot, substantially all portions of the ribbed :knit fabric being visable above the said marginal edge, and all portions of the plain knit fabric being within and concealed by said shoe.

It is a still further object of my present invention to provide socks .of the character above described which are :attractive and pleasing in appearance and which are entirely comfortable when in use, and to provide a novel and relatively simple method of making such socks.

In the accompanying drawings wherein for the purpose 10f illustration, I have shown several preferred forms or embodiments of :my present invention:

Fig. l is a perspective View of a sock made in accordance with my present invention and showing the same applied to :a :persons foot, the line :of demarcation between the ribbed and plain V'knit portions of the sock corresponding substantially to the outline or contour of the upper marginl edge of the persons shoe,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sock shown in "Fig. l and showing a shoe applied to a persons out over the sock of my present invention, this figure illustrating the manner in which the line of demarcation between the ribbed and plain knit portions of the sock is completely concealed :by the persons shoe, and

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 areside views of socks of my present invention showing the lines of demarcation between the ribbed and plain knit portions of the socks terminating along rearwardly and downwardly tapered lines extending from various points of the top of the instep portion of the socks toward the rear or heel portion thereof.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals have been employed to designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 1 designates, broadly, the upper or leg portion of the .sock which portion is of ribbed knit fabric of any conventional or preferred design or form, the numeral 2 designating, broadly, the foot portion of the sock which portion is of plain knit fabric of any conventional .or preferred design or form.

It will be noted that in all of the forms of my present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the ribbed fabric at the rear half of the sock extends down- The ribbed fabric at the front half portion of the sock extends downwardly from the top 3 of the sock and terminates along rearwardly and downwardly tapered lines which extend from a point 7 approximately midway along the top of the instep portion 8 of the sock to points 9 on opposite sides of the sock and adjacent the heel portion 4 thereof, the remainder of the foot and toe portions of the sock being of plain or reinforced knit fabric.

When a sock made in the manner just described is placed on the foot of a person, the inserted foot fills out the sock and the rearwardly and downwardly tapered lines of demarcation between the ribbed and plain knit portions of the sock assume a curved condition corresponding to the curvature of the upper marginal edge 5 of the shoe 6, said lines of demarcation being slightly closer to the toe and sole portions of the sock than said marginal edge 5 whereby said lines of demarcation are completely concealed by said edge 5, all as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings. By virtue of this construction, substantially all of the ribbed portion of the sock is visible above the marginal edge 5 of the shoe, and all of the plain knit or foot portion of the sock is concealed by the shoe 6.

Some types of shoes, such for example, pumps and mocassins, are quite low and, hence, the upper marginal edges of such shoes are located closer to the toe portions and sole portions thereof than said upper marginal edge would be in the case of ordinary low shoes of the laced type. With a view to providing a merchantable line of socks of the type involved herein and in which the important and essential features of said socks may be incorporated in socks adapted for wear with various types of pump, mocassins, and shoes, I vary the location of the lines of demarcation between the ribbed portion and the plain knit portion of each sock, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 of the accompanying drawings. As shown in Fig. 3, the ribbed fabric at the front half portion of the sock terminates along rearwardly and downwardly tapered lines which extend from a point 7 approximately midway along the top of the instep portion 8 of the sock to points 9 on opposite sides of the sock and adjacent the heel portion 4 thereof. This sock is primarily for use in connection with low shoes of the laced type or other types of shoes wherein the upper marginal edge of the shoe is relatively high. As shown in Fig. 4, the ribbed fabric at the front half portion of the sock terminates along rearwardly and downwardly tapered lines which extend from a point 7 along the top of the instep portion 8 of the sock to points 9 on opposite sides of the sock and adjacent the heel portion 4 thereof, these tapered lines of demarcation between the ribbed fabric and plain knit fabric being closer to the toe portion and sole portion of the sock than the similar lines of demarcation shown in Fig. 3. Hence, the form of sock shown in Fig. 4 is adapted for use in connection with shoes wherein the upper marginal edge of the shoe is of medium height. As shown in Fig. 5, the ribbed fabric at the front half portion of the sock terminates along rearwardly and downwardly tapered lines which extend from a point 7 along the top of the instep portion 8 of the sock to points 9 on opposite sides of the sock and adjacent the heel portion 4 thereof, these tapered lines of demarcation between the ribbed fabric and plain knit fabric being closer to the toe portion and sole portion of the sock than similar lines ofdemarcation shown in Figs. 3 or 4. Hence, the form of sock shown in Fig. 5 is adapted for use in connection with shoes wherein the upper marginal edge of the shoe is relatively low, for example, shoes of the pump type or low mocassin type.

Referring now to the preferred method of knitting the socks above described, I may employ Komet hosiery knitting machine manufactured by Scott and Williams of Laconia, New Hampshire, and widely known in the trade, which machine is equipped with a Links and Links attachment, or I may employ a Bentley hosiery knitting machine, also widely known in the trade and equipped with a Links and Links attachment. These Komet and Bentley machines equipped with a Links and Links attachment, employ double ended needles, and include two needle cylinders mounted one above the other, with pattern mechanism operatively associated with the machine for controlling the operation of the needles, the construction and operation being such that each double ended needle may knit in either the upper or lower cylinder as determined by the operation of the pattern mechanism. During the operation of machines of the character just described, the lower transfer cam transfers the needles into the upper cylinder while the machine is knitting the foot of the sock, said transfer cam then being removed so that the rib needles once brought into the lower cylinder are not transferred back to the upper cylinder of the machine. Hence, when all of the rib needles have been brought down into the lower cylinder of the machine, the machine knits with all of said needles in the lower cylinder, to produce a flat knit fabric.

When carrying out the method of knitting socks in accordance with the present invention, and when employing knitting machine and equipment of the character above described, the knitting of the sock is begun at the top thereof and is continued in the conventional manner to produce a ribbed or rib patterned leg portion either with or without a welt. A conventional heel is then knit, and the machine then begins to knit the foot portion of the sock. The Links and Links patterning device is set in motion, as the result of which the needles knitting in the upper or rib cylinder are progressively pulled down into the lower cylinder to discontinue the knitting of the ribbed or rib patterns portion of the socks. This process is continued throughout a full turn of the pattern or trick wheel, at which time all of the rib needles have been brought down into the lower cylinder and, since the lower transfer cam has been removed, such needles remain, in the lower cylinder where they are operated to effect the knitting of the remainder of the foot portion as plain knit fabric. The toe portion is then knit and the sock completed in accordance with conventional practice.

The Links and Links pattern attachment associated with the Komet or Bentley hosiery knitting machine is so constructed and arranged as to change the knitting of the sock from ribbed or rib pattern knitting to plain fabric knitting to provide a sock in which the ribbed knitting at the rear half of the upper or leg portion terminates immediately above the heel of the sock, and in which the ribbed knitting at the front half of the upper or leg portion is continued along the top and sides of the instep portion of the sock, and terminates at a con siderable distance from the toe of the sock and along rearwardly and downwardly tapering lines which extend from approximately the mid-point of the top, center of the instep portion of the sock toward the rear or heel portion thereof, the remainder of the foot portion of said sock being of plain knit fabric, and the line of demarcation between said ribbed fabric and said plain knit fabric corresponding substantially to the outline of the upper marginal edge of the wearers shoe, with the downwardly and rearwardly extending line of demarcation between the ribbed and plain knit portions positioned just slightly below said upper marginal edge of the shoe when said sock and shoe are applied to the wearers foot. As the result of this method, a sock is provided in which substantially all portions of the ribbed fabric are visible above the marginal edge of a shoe placed on a wearers foot and over the lower portion of the sock, and all portions of the plain knit fabric are within and concealed by the shoe. By selecting the proper pattern control arrangement, it is possible to selectively determine the point along the upper instep portion of the sock from which the downwardly and rearwardly tapered lines of demarcation between ribbed and plain knit fabric will extend, to thus provide socks of the several types illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an integrally knit sock and a method of knitting the same which adequately accomplishes the object of my present invention. While I have made specific reference to the Komet and Bentley hosiery knitting machines and to a Links and Links attachment for such machines, it is to be understood that I may use other makes of hosiery knitting machines, if such are available, which are of the two cylinder type, which knit with double ended needles, and which include a Links and Links attachment, or the equivalent, for selectively controlling the change-over along tapering or gradual lines from ribbed knitting to plain knitting to establish the lines of demarcation above referred to. It will be understood, of course, by anyone skilled in the art of knitting, that there are a number of circular knitting machines on the market that are capable of knitting imitation ribbed hosiery, and others that have a cylinder and dial that are capable of knitting true ribbed hosiery, but on machines of this type, it is impossible to transfer from ribbed to flat or plain knitting in a tapering or gradually decreasing line, as in these machines all stitches must be transferred from the dial to the cylinder at the same time. Obviously, machines of the last mentioned type are not applicable to the knitting of the integrally knit socket of the present invention, and further,

are not of such construction and operation as to be capa- 35 ble of performing the method of knitting disclosed and claimed herein.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An integrally knit article of hosiery, comprising a sock having a lower foot and heel portion. of plain knit fabric and a leg and instep portion of ribbed fabric, the line of demarcation between said plain knit and ribbed fabric being disposed along rearwardly and downwardly inclined lines extending from a point approximately mid- Way of the top of the instep portion to points on opposite sides of the sock adjacent the heel portion thereof and being so located as to occupy a position slightly below the upper marginal edge of a shoe placed on a. wearers foot and over said sock, whereby said line of demarcation will be concealed by the upper portion of said shoe, and the foot and heel portions below said marginal edge will be substantially devoid of ribbed fabric.

2. A method of knitting an integrally knit article of hosiery such as a sock, having a foot portion of plain knit fabric and a leg portion of ribbed fabric, which comprises the steps of knitting the ribbed leg portion of said sock from the top to the bottom thereof, terminating the ribbed knitting at the rear half of the sock immediately above the heel thereof, continuing the ribbed knitting along the front half portion of the sock, and terminating said last mentioned ribbed knitting along lines which extend from substantially the mid-point of the top of said instep portion rearwardly and downwardly along opposite sides of said sock toward the heel portion thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 185,561 Marshall Dec. 19, 1876 626,864 Huse June 13, 1899 1,544,934 Prankard July 7, 1925 2,170,076 Houseman Aug. 22, 1939 

